A deputy who investigated the crash site displays part of a defective airbag. (Emily Foxhall/Houston Chronicle via AP)

(Newser)
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Huma Hanif should have survived a March 31 fender bender in Fort Bend County, Texas, authorities say. Instead, the 17-year-old was killed when the driver's-side airbag in her 2002 Honda Civic exploded and, police say, "fired a sharp piece of jagged metal into her throat at point-blank range," KPRC reports. Huma died within seconds after her jugular vein and carotid artery were severed, Sheriff Troy Nehls says, adding "there is no doubt" that the Takata airbag in her vehicle failed. A bystander who came to Huma's aid says the damage to the car wasn't that bad, but there was a gash in her neck, which he tried to cover. "I feel like there was not a whole lot I could do," he says. Huma, who aspired to become a nurse, is the 10th person in the US to die after a Takata airbag's inflator broke apart and sprayed shrapnel into a vehicle's cabin, CBS New York reports. More than 100 people have been injured.

A recall last year included some 29 million cars by many manufacturers, but only a quarter of those have been repaired. And that doesn't always seem to be the fault of vehicle owners. One Long Island woman tells CBS that she received a recall notice that read in part, "At the present time, we do not have parts available." Honda says Huma's Civic was part of the recall and that the company sent notices to multiple people who had owned the car, "including the current registered owner." The repair, however, was never completed. Huma's family tells CBS she didn't know about the recall. During a press conference, her brother urged vehicle owners to find out whether they may have a defective airbag and, if they do, to "get it fixed before you lose a loved one." (This young woman was injured in a bizarre car accident.)

If you always wear seatbelts, you have an 11% greater chance of dying in an airbag equipped car.

Stammon

Apr 25, 2016 2:16 PM CDT

My father was killed by an airbag in 2005. His volvo's airbag broke his neck. The crash was very survivable. We have tried to have them removed from our Honda Pilot and Pontiac. The companies won't do it. I have notified them that if we get hurt by their airbags, we will sue.

Ranter101

Apr 23, 2016 10:54 AM CDT

Do your recalls people! A 2002 Civic was phase one and there was NO excuse to not have gotten that repaired. This is a tragedy that didn't have to happen and it's very sad. You shouldn't be able to renew your vehicle registrations without proof of recall completions......